MJ's SKETCHBOOK

TV sketching As I was going through an old sketchbook, I came...

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:13:29 -0400

TV sketching

As I was going through an old sketchbook, I came across these sketches I made while watching TV last year. We were watching Giuliana & Billand later on Undercover Boss Canada and I decided to sketch while watching. Not an easy thing to do, but it was fun. Now I don’t really have time for TV, but it’s definitely something to keep in mind as something to do to practice drawing people fast. At first I wasn’t sure this constitute urban sketching, but it does follow the principles…

urban sketching in the Walls Notebook I attempted do draw one of...

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 01:23:00 -0400

urban sketching in the Walls Notebook

I attempted do draw one of the parks along Wellington Street downtown Ottawa during one of my walks with Newton a couple days ago. He was not feeling staying put that day, so I did a quick sketch with a pen and added the leaves and grass in green later on. I decided to draw in my walls notebook to do this sketch. I might try this again. It’s interesting to have different backgrounds and it’s also a good way to actually use the book.

road trip sketching My absolute favorite way to travel to...

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 23:16:48 -0400

road trip sketching

My absolute favorite way to travel to Toronto from Ottawa is flying via Porter. My least favorite way is by car. It’s so long and boring. But sometimes, driving is the best option. In this case, to keep my mind occupied, I tend to doodle (if I’m the passenger of course). On our last two trips to Toronto I started to “draw what I hear on the radio”. It makes the ride a little more enjoyable. I think I just stated a new trend (at least for me) : Road Trip Sketching :)

TGIM sketchnote 15 This week’s TGIM made me a little...

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 03:16:40 -0400

TGIM sketchnote 15

This week’s TGIM made me a little teary eyes. It’s very moving and inspiring to see the results of such dedication and hard work. The cycle has been broken. By doing this ET has not only open the door for his family but for many others who like myself who are able to benefit from the TGIMs and break cycles of our own. Who knows how many boys will now be able to have a great relationship with their dads as a result of this and also do great things in their lives. This is truly a beautiful thing.

jar challenge update 5 The jars don’t lie. There...

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 02:38:04 -0400

jar challenge update 5

The jars don’t lie. There wasn’t much traditional drawings during the month of May. I’ve been working on other projects, but I still want to fill up two jars by the end of the year. We’re already halfway through! So many more things I want to do. But I’ll follow ET’s suggestion, and just shut up and work :)

ANIMAL CONNECTION 020 : The old lady and her cat I found...

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 22:56:19 -0400

ANIMAL CONNECTION 020 : The old lady and her cat

I found out about a series of photos of this old lady, Misao, and her cat, Fukumaru that are truly adorable. They are the work of photographerMiyoko Ihara who followed them for 13 years and created a photobook of their friendship. According to an article on BuzzFeed, the cat was found abandoned in a shed and they’ve been inseparable since

TGIM sketchnote 14 This week’s TGIM tip is “Work...

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 01:44:11 -0400

TGIM sketchnote 14

This week’s TGIM tip is “Work while you’re at work”. It’s not always easy, especially with so many distractions all around all the time, but it’s simple. It’s really a question of discipline. That’s something I can work on. I’m not at the Ray Lewis level yet, but I’m working on it. One of the main thing I did this year to get there was to cancel cable TV (no more reality shows for me). It helped. Now I have to be careful while browsing the internet. That can also take a lot of time away from doing actual work.

Check out the TGIM video. The preview of the audiobook at the end is intense. I’m looking forward to hear it.

week 21 daily sketches For week 21, I decided to practice...

Wed, 29 May 2013 01:31:17 -0400

week 21 daily sketches

For week 21, I decided to practice sketching techniques from the Pencil Sketching book I bought not too long ago. Instead of using a pencil, I decided to use gel pens. I just reproduced some of the drawings that are in the book. It’s one thing to learn from the theories, it’s another to learn from practice and learning from practice is much more effective. I’m hoping this will help improve my sketching technique when I’m out and about urban sketching.

TGIM sketchnote 13 This week’s TGIM sketchnote is a...

Mon, 27 May 2013 23:55:55 -0400

TGIM sketchnote 13

This week’s TGIM sketchnote is a little more colorful. I guess I’m still working on my work :) There’s always something that can be improved. I do critique my own work from time to time, but I never thought about studying my work before and reflecting on it. It’s something I’m going to have start doing. It makes a lot of sense as it’s more constructive than just critiquing the work.

I did a quick sketch of a portion of the Garden of Provinces and...

Sun, 26 May 2013 21:48:23 -0400

I did a quick sketch of a portion of the Garden of Provinces and Territories not too long ago, where there’s a bronze fountain representing a tree and three opening on the wall in the back for water to pour into a zen inspired water feature. Unfortunately there was no water the day I did the sketch. I’ll have to go back when it’s in operation.

Newton’s self portrait I think if Newton could draw it...

Sat, 25 May 2013 21:08:10 -0400

Newton’s self portrait

I think if Newton could draw it would more or less look like this :)

TGIM sketchnote 12 Work! Work! Work! Work! Grind! Grind! Grind!...

Wed, 22 May 2013 11:41:58 -0400

TGIM sketchnote 12

Work! Work! Work! Work! Grind! Grind! Grind! Grind! I’m really feeling this week’s TGIM. It’s not going to happen if you just talk or write about it. I constantly have to watch out for the overplanning side of me where I can end up with a great plan and not much work done. There has to be a point where you just start and adjust as you go because things always changes anyway. With that said, I better get back to drawing :)

week 20 daily sketches My favorite one of the bunch this week is...

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:08:21 -0400

week 20 daily sketches

My favorite one of the bunch this week is “Grumpy the ottoman bird”. We have to keep it off the floor for now because the puppy likes to chew on its wings.

manga inspired portrait I’m a big fan of manga/anime style...

Sun, 19 May 2013 21:26:16 -0400

manga inspired portrait

I’m a big fan of manga/anime style of drawing. I used to practice a lot when I was a little younger, watching TV shows like Sailor Moon,Dragon Ball and Great Teacher Onizuka. My brother and I would pause the recorded shows and draw them freehand. It’s something that I’d like to get back into sometime in the near future. I recently did this portrait of my brother in manga style using SketchBook Pro for ipad. I’m a little rusty. It’s a little rough but it reminds me of Riley from The Boondocks :)

Last week I closed my old twitter account to concentrate on my...

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:05:36 -0400

Last week I closed my old twitter account to concentrate on my new projects. I feel, focusing on one thing instead of many will help me get more things done. Before closing it, I designed a little header that illustrates my move from the @m2jl nest to the @mjsketchbook. Since twitter is represented by a bird, I imagine my twitter name is a nest. I really like the idea and wanted to share it with you.

12 points in a classical balance This really neat sculpture by...

Thu, 16 May 2013 00:28:19 -0400

12 points in a classical balance

This really neat sculpture by Chung Hung is located at the Garden of Provinces and Territories, right in the middle on a field of grass. The abstract sculpture is made out of red cedar in the shape of a “loop” bending at 12 locations (points). It looks really nice against the various types of trees and was a good challenge to draw. I wonder if the 12 points was supposed to represent the 12 provinces and territories at the time, since it was built in 1982, before Nunavut was added.

TGIM sketchnote 11 We’re in the second quarter of...

Tue, 14 May 2013 11:02:02 -0400

TGIM sketchnote 11

We’re in the second quarter of the TGIMs so I decided to make some little adjustments to the look of my sketchnotes. It looks like this quarter is going to be about taking action. I always internalize ET’s instructions and I can already see a couple thoughts I need change (not an easy thing to do, but it’s necessary), some adjustments I need to make and massive actions I need to take. I guess we all have our weights we carry around in life for whatever reason and the key is to see how they can be used to help us get to the next level. There’s a lot of things that involve an amazing life for me and I can tell you that my amazing life includes a lot of art and a modern luxury villa in Ibiza :).

week 19 daily sketches These are my daily sketches from last...

Mon, 13 May 2013 21:35:56 -0400

week 19 daily sketches

These are my daily sketches from last week. I like the fading background from the “Munny World” sketch. It wasn’t planned. My marker was running out and I ended up with a better result from it. It’s my favorite background thus far from this “series”. Newton’s non stuffed toy was interesting and challenging to draw. It turned out better than expected. The chew toy didn’t turned out as I would like, but still interesting. I’m also liking the border using the word “shower” on the side at the bottom. Will probably use that again somewhere else

the beer store I did a quick sketch of the Beer Store in front...

Sat, 11 May 2013 20:18:22 -0400

the beer store

I did a quick sketch of the Beer Store in front on Dundonald Park the other day during our little walk with Newton. The yellow building really stands out on the street, you can’t miss it.

paint chip sketching I’m testing a new idea for some of my...

Sat, 11 May 2013 02:24:18 -0400

paint chip sketching

I’m testing a new idea for some of my urban sketches, using paint chips as a my “canvas”. It’s an interesting way to “add colours”. These are my first few attempts.

I’ve been able to complete two so far using permanent markers. The first completed one is a view of the Alexandria Bridge over the Ottawa River. While I was drawing it I met this old Metis man who was really happy to see me draw with Newton and told me about a tipi that’s along the river near another bridge that I should check out. He also showed me how to write “Inuit”, “Nunavut” and “Nunavit” in Inuktitut syllabics. It’s a writing system used by the Inuit in Nunavit and Nunavik, Quebec. So I have also have neat symbols in the back of that paint chip, which makes it more special.

The second one is the view from the window of Whalesbone Fish Supply shop. I did it while waiting for our brown bag lunch.